Sick Day
by The Create Card
Summary: While staying over with Madison, sickness strikes Sakura, Madison, and Li. And the only ones able to play doctor are...Kero and Yue? Is there anyone else who can help? And will chaos ensue? It ends with Part 5!
1. The Sickness Spreads

Summary: Sakura's staying over with Madison while her father and Tori are away for a week. A little later, though, Madison's mom ends up going away on business. And a while after she leaves…the flu strikes!

  


**Sick Day: Part 1**

  


Eighteen-year-old Sakura Avalon looked out the window as she styled the hair of her best friend, Madison Taylor. The sun was just barely starting to set on this first day of Sakura's sleepover. With her father and Tori away, Sakura got a rare opportunity to spend over at Madison's vast estate. And not only did she get to see her very best friend there, but she also got to see the love of her life, Li Showron, who was staying in one of Madison's guesthouses.

A lot was on Sakura's mind over these last few months and this would really be the first opportunity she'd have to relax. It was an opportunity she wouldn't pass up on.

"How's it looking so far?" Madison asked.

"A few more seconds…I've almost got a perfect ponytail…"

Before Sakura could wrap up that ponytail, Madison coughed furiously. The sudden movement of Madison's head got Sakura's hands out of sync and the ponytail…wasn't so perfect.

"Sorry, Sakura," Madison apologized. "I've just had the worst cough lately."

"Have you taken a cough drop?" Sakura suggested.

"It hasn't really been working," Madison replied. "I hope it goes away soon."

"That cough sounds pretty bad," another voice said. It was little Kero, who was perched atop Madison's cabinet. "You sure you're all right, kiddo?"

Madison nodded. "It's nothing."

Sakura suddenly saw Madison's mom walking through the hall. "Maybe your mom has something. Mrs. Taylor?!"

Madison's mother stuck her head in the room…and saw Madison's hair all tousled. "Madison…it's a nice look. I hope you give Sakura a chance to fix that hair up. She'd probably fix it up really nice just like her mother would."

"Mrs. Taylor, Madison's got a pretty bad cough," Sakura said. "Is there anything she should take?"

"The cough drops should hopefully do the trick. But I can't stay for long. I have to make a business trip."

Madison's face fell. "Aw Mom…again?"

"It'll only be for a few days. Four days at the most. In the meantime, I trust you and Li can take care of yourselves…"

"Yes Mom."

"And take care of Sakura…"

"Yes Mom."

"And keep that Eriol kid out of the house."

"Yes M…………MOM!"

"I'm just making sure. I didn't forget those times I caught you two making out on our porch!***** There's something not right about that boy. It's like that Eriol Eli Moon has never been around a girl before."

Sakura thought about that. Eriol retained all of Clow Reed's memories, so she wondered…if Clow ever really HAD a woman in his life. It was an interesting thought and Sakura would have to pose that question to him someday.

"Mom! NEVER say his middle name! Eriol HATES that! And second, Eriol is a wonderful man. He's a perfect gentleman……for the most part. And you don't have to worry about him. I'll keep him out."

Madison's mother raised an eyebrow. "See that you do, young lady. I'll be back in a few days."

Madison's mom walked off with her bags and Madison just shook her head.

"I got caught on the porch ONE time," Madison sighed. "Do you and Li ever have that problem with YOUR family?"

Sakura gave Madison a knowing glance. Madison just sweatdropped when she realized that this was one question she should have already known the answer to. After all, Sakura had a VERY protective big brother.

"Oops…never mind," Madison muttered…before coughing furiously again.

Sakura just blinked. There certainly SEEMED to be something wrong with her best friend. But it couldn't have been anything too serious…could it?

* * *

Four hours after Madison's mother left, Madison was coughing worse than before. Sakura couldn't bear to see it, because Madison was getting worse. In addition to the coughs, Madison now had red eyes and was sniffling a lot.

"Madison…are you o…"

Sakura couldn't even finish the question before…she coughed pretty heavily herself. That cough was so loud, it woke Kero, who was sleeping on Madison's bed. Kero flew over and looked at Sakura, who was rubbing her right eye, which had become itchy.

"You sound pretty bad yourself," Kero noted. "About as bad as Madison."

Madison coughed again. "It's nothing. I'm just fine." Then she sniffled.

"Madison, you are NOT fine," Sakura told her. "You sound sick." Then she coughed out loud herself.

"So do you," Kero shot back.

Sakura blinked, making her right eye even itchier. "Huh? MADISON'S sick! I'M feeling just fine!" Then she coughed again, followed by some sniffles.

Kero flew over and felt Sakura's forehead. "WHOA! You are NOT fine! You're burning up!"

Madison's eyes widened. "Sakura's sick?" Of course, when her eyes widened, Sakura could see that they were very red.

Kero flew over and felt Madison's forehead. "HEY! You aren't fine, either! You're burning up, too!"

Madison sniffled. "Kero…if you really think we're sick, then let me call one of the maids to fix some soup or something."

Madison walked over and pushed one of the buttons on the wall. But she got no response. Madison pushed the button again and again got no response. Sakura suddenly noticed something. She walked over to the kitchen and saw a piece of paper on the refrigerator.

"Madison! Come take a look at this!"

Madison wandered over to Sakura and took the paper in her hand. "It's a note from my mom. It says 'Madison, you're becoming a grown woman now and it's time you start learning to become more independent. That's why I gave the servants a vacation until I come back. Make me proud and take care of yourself. Love, Mom.'"

Kero scratched his chin. "Hmm…that…doesn't sound like a good thing."

Sakura sniffled. "So we're on our own?"

Kero looked like he had an idea. "Not…necessarily. I'll be right back."

And with that, Kero flew out the window. Once he was out the window, both Sakura and Madison coughed loudly. Both girls moaned and headed straight for the nearest couch to lie down.

* * *

Kero knew the girls were getting sick. And with the servants away, it wouldn't be Kero stuck to take care of them. So he went to retrieve someone who might be able to help. He flew to one of Madison's guesthouses and knocked on the door.

Unfortunately, when the door opened, Kero didn't like what he saw.

"What…do you want?"

Kero was now looking at Li Showron, but there was something wrong. The kid didn't look as feisty as he usually did. In fact, he looked rather fatigued. And to make things worse, he coughed loudly. Kero got a sinking feeling and put a hand on his forehead. Indeed, Li was burning up.

"Oh no! Not you too, brat!"

"What do you mean?" Li asked.

"Sakura and Madison are sick, too! I was hoping you could help, but…"

"Sakura's here?! And she's sick?! Out of my way, stuffed animal!"

Li dashed by Kero (well…as much as a sick person COULD dash, anyway) and headed for the mansion. Kero had a bad feeling about this. If the servants were gone, then it really was all up to him. Or was it?

Kero suddenly had a new idea. And he flew back to the mansion to put it into action.

* * *

Kero looked over to see that Sakura, Li, and Madison were all seated side-by-side. They were all lethargic and lacking energy. They all had really hot foreheads and were all coughing furiously. Kero was just thankful he was a guardian beast and not a human being, because this sounded contagious.

But Kero wasn't about to take up the task of playing doctor for THREE people. So he picked up the phone and made a phone call. Unfortunately…

_"Hello! You've reached the machine of Eriol Moon. We're not in right now. In fact, we're all out on a brief trip to England, so we won't be back for a few weeks. Leave a message at the beep and we'll get back to you as soon as we return."_

Kero sweatdropped. "Oh…no…"

"What happened, Kero?" Sakura sniffled.

"Eriol's…on vacation…"

That got Madison's attention. "He went on vacation without telling me?! That's TWO strikes against him!****** Just wait 'til he gets back…"

Kero banged his head against the wall. "No…no…no…I CAN'T take care of three people alone! I'm a guardian beast, not a doctor!" Then a light bulb appeared over his head. "Hey! I got it!"

"What do you have in mind, Kero?" Sakura asked curiously…before coughing again.

Kero sweatdropped as he dialed the phone. "I just need to call for a little help…"

* * *

Kero waited by the intercom for something, ANYTHING, because Sakura, Li, and Madison were seemingly getting worse. At this point, they were all trying to lie down on the couches in the living room. The moaning was getting to Kero at this point, since he really didn't know how to handle this alone. After an eternity, the intercom finally buzzed.

"Yeah?"

_"Kero? I'm here."_

"Hey Julian…it's great that you came and I'm really glad you're here…but…you know…buddy…I could really use your better half right about now. You understand, right?"

Kero got no response. He tapped on the speaker, but got nothing. He was starting to get scared that Julian left. But…that's when Kero heard a tapping on the window. He turned around to see…the guardian, Yue.

Kero breathed a sigh of relief and opened the window. "Great to see you here, Yue."

Yue flew in and calmly dusted himself off. "This calling is certainly unexpected, Kero. You said you had a problem and needed help. What could it possibly be?"

Kero pointed over at the three…patients. Sakura was moaning feverishly, Li was trying to shake his head and convince himself he was ok, and Madison was about to fall asleep but couldn't because she kept coughing.

"Hmm…I could almost swear something's wrong with them," Yue muttered.

"You want to look a little harder, genius?" Kero growled.

Yue walked over to Sakura and tried to examine her with his eyes. It was a long process, a lot longer than it should have been. Kero knew that Yue wasn't slow by any means, but he should have put two and two together by now.

"She appears…to be sick…"

Kero fell over anime-style. "Gee…I wonder what gives you THAT idea?!"

"Well…first of all, her eyes are…"

"I'm BEING sarcastic!"

"Oh…that sarcasm thing again. You always used to do that around Clow! You'd think after being in the Clow Book for so long, you'd have dropped that habit."

"Hey, I didn't ALWAYS used to be sarcastic. It was just…HEY! Stop that! You're getting off the subject! Don't you see the problem we have?!"

Yue looked down at the moaning Sakura. "The Mistress is sick."

"Ahem…"

Kero pointed at the other two patients, Li and Madison, who were also moaning feverishly.

Yue blinked. "Hmm…do you suppose the Mistress's best friend and boyfriend are ALSO sick?"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! You think?!"

"Well…they certainly don't LOOK well…"

"YUE!"

Yue shook his head. "More sarcasm. Just what I need."

"Look, the point I'm trying to make is that we've got three sick people to take care of and I'm gonna need your help."

Yue looked like he was deep in thought. "I don't believe I have a choice. My purpose is to protect the Sakura Card Mistress. I suppose that also means from…disease. So what is it we should do?"

Kero thought about that. "Well…"

  


Next Time: We get our first looks at Dr. Kero and Dr. Yue in action. But does the issue of inexperience come into play? And are all of our patients willing to stay still and lie in bed? Come back next time to find out!

  


***** - See "Making A Choice"

****** - See "Want You Bad" for strike one

  


Any comments? Then mail me at AmericanCaptor@hotmail.com and don't forget to review below!


	2. Playing Chicken...Soup, That Is

Last Time: Things didn't go well when Sakura, Li, and Madison all got sick. And not only is Madison's mother away and the servants on vacation, but Eriol has also gone on an impromptu trip. Thus that leaves Kero and Yue the only ones who can help.

  


**Sick Day: Part 2**

  


With Sakura, Li, and Madison all coughing heavily, it all occurred to Kero to get them all lying down. So Kero had Yue line up three of the living room's couches and lie them all down there. They didn't look to be getting any better and Kero wanted to know exactly what was wrong with them.

"Haven't really seen this sort of thing very often," Kero mused.

"That makes more than I'VE seen it," Yue replied as he browsed through one of Madison's books. "We were never really equipped to handle this situation. Clow never GOT sick."

"You make a good point," Kero muttered. "So what'cha reading there?"

"I'm trying to look and see exactly what's wrong with them," Yue answered. He walked over to the three couches and looked at the three patients. "Fever?"

Sakura and Madison moaned affirmatively.

"Cough?"

More affirmative moans.

"Red eyes?"

Affirmative moans.

"Runny nose?"

Affirmative moans.

Yue nodded. "Hmm…it looks like you have the flu."

Kero flew over to Li. "You're quiet, brat. You must have it pretty bad."

Li tried sitting up. "I'm not sick! I'm fine! Now let me go!"

Li tried getting up, but Kero tried to hold him down. Of course, Li could be very stubborn and wouldn't exactly take no for an answer. So he simply picked up Kero and tossed him across the room.

This refusal to cooperate was making Kero a little more than upset. So he decided to nip this in the bud before it became more of a problem. He quickly spread his wings and transformed into his true form, the mighty guardian beast Keroberos. Keroberos quickly flew over towards the couch Li was lying on and got in his face.

"LIE DOWN!!!" Keroberos bellowed, practically knocking everything over.

Not wanting to argue with an enraged guardian beast, Li took the hint and lied back on the couch. Seeing no more need to show his true face, Keroberos reverted back into his false form.

Yue shook his head. "So how do we deal with this?"

"Um…what else does that book say?" Kero asked.

Yue browsed through the book. "The book says we should just let them get some rest while we…fix some hot chicken soup. Which way is it to the kitchen?"

Kero pointed to his right. "That way. You can still cook, right?"

"Kero, it's only been…a lifetime. Cooking is like riding a bicycle. How hard could it be?"

"I don't know about that. For one thing, you don't KNOW how to ride a bicycle."

Yue sweatdropped. "It's just an expression. You know what I mean."

Kero looked over at the kitchen and sweatdropped, himself. He knew that this could turn out to be a very long day. Especially if Yue was rusty with his cooking.

"Well…I guess we'd better get started."

* * *

With Sakura, Madison, and Li all hopefully asleep, the time was here for Kero and Yue to fix some chicken soup. Yue looked everywhere for the right ingredients. Kero just calmly floated in the air.

"It's just chicken soup," he said. "It's not exactly rocket science. I know Madison's mother is rich, but that doesn't mean they can't settle for some Cup-O-Noodles or something. Why the complicated stuff?"

"Stop complaining," Yue said with his dry monotone. "It CAN'T be that hard to make chicken soup the natural way. Now where do they keep the chickens?"

Kero tried searching in one of the cabinets on the wall. Unfortunately, when he opened it up, a barrage of cans and jars fell over and buried the little guardian beast. Kero twitched for a moment and flew out of the pile of fallen cans.

Kero held up a can. "Can't we make some TOMATO soup or something?"

"The book says it has to be CHICKEN soup," Yue replied. "Chicken noodle soup is preferred."

Kero scratched his chin. "Noodles, eh?"

With an idea in mind, Kero flew out of the kitchen and towards the phone. He had a phone call to make.

* * *

Kero came back to the kitchen 30 minutes later after getting something left at the foot of Madison's front gate. Luckily for the two would-be doctors, Sakura, Madison, and Li had all fallen asleep. And that would give Kero and Yue all the time they needed.

As Kero dragged in a bag of food, he saw Yue working diligently by a pot. The judge dipped a finger in the pot and tasted it.

"Tastes pretty good," Yue muttered. "I should hope so since this was the only spare chicken in the entire mansion." He suddenly spied Kero and his bag. "And what have you got there?"

"Chinese food," Kero answered casually.

Yue raised an eyebrow. "You're ordering Chinese food at a time like this?"

Kero grabbed a small carton and flew towards the pot. "Well, you said it was better if we had chicken noodle soup. I see you have the chicken and the soup. All we need now is the noodles. So here they are."

Before Yue could stop him, Kero dumped a carton of noodles into the pot. Yue slapped his forehead in frustration.

"And you wonder why Clow always had ME cook!" Yue growled. "You can't just dip ANY noodles into the soup! They don't call it chicken noodle soup because it's made of chicken and noodles! It's because it's made of chicken noodles! Is any of this sinking in to you?"

Kero blinked. "Um………no."

Yue shook his head. "Then let me make it a little clearer for you. Clow wanted ME to cook. Clow wanted YOU to EAT! So I would appreciate it if you didn't interfere with my cooking."

"Hey, I'm just trying to help!" Kero shot back. "Especially since your cooking is a bit rusty. I mean, you did remember to take EVERY precaution right?"

"What did you think I forgot?" Yue asked.

"Well…I'm just saying. You might have set the temperature too high."

As if on cue, the soup started bubbling and spilling out to the ground. A huge amount of steam started coming out of the soup, as it was obviously burning up. Yue quickly shut it off.

"See what I mean?" Kero smirked.

"Very funny," Yue said dryly. "So who's cleaning this up?"

"KERO!" Sakura wailed from the living room. "I'm thirsty!"

"Me too, Kero!" Madison added.

"Look what you did!" Kero snapped at Yue. "They were sound asleep just a second ago. Why do you have to be so LOUD?!"

"I'm not the loud one around here!" Yue shot back. "You're the one who's always yelling and complaining! It's been that way ever since we first lived with Clow!"

"Clow never thought I was loud and obnoxious," Kero pouted.

"Clow never wanted to hurt your feelings! You were always so sensitive!"

"I was NOT sensitive!" Kero whined.

"KERO!!" Sakura and Madison cried out. "WE'RE THIRSTY!"

"I'll get the girls something to drink," Yue said. "You clean up the mess."

"Oh no you won't," Kero argued. "You're the only one big enough to use a mop. I'LL bring the girls something to drink."

"I didn't spill the soup with my power of suggestion," Yue pointed out. "YOU clean it up! Besides, you're not big enough to carry two drinks into the living room."

"I'll make two trips," Kero retorted.

"That'd be too slow," Yue growled. "It's better if you just stop arguing and look for the mop."

"Why don't YOU?"

"I just told you why! You're the one who spilled the soup."

"That was a coincidence!"

"It couldn't have been a coincidence."

"Was too!"

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

"Was not!"

* * *

Sakura coughed again and this time the coughs were feeling worse. Her throat was dry and getting sore. And from the loud sounds of arguing coming from the kitchen, it didn't look like she'd be getting a drink anytime soon.

"You'd think they could stop arguing for ONE second," Sakura groaned.

"I guess we could try yelling again," Madison suggested, her voice getting raspier. "But my throat hurts too much." She coughed again.

"I wish there was someone else who could help," Sakura sighed.

"What about Li?" Madison thought. "He's in denial anyway."

Sakura pointed over at Li…who was practically snoring. He was in a deep sleep.

Madison sweatdropped. "Oh…never mind."

Sakura moaned. "Li's asleep, Kero and Yue are arguing, Eriol's on vacation. I guess we're on our own."

Madison suddenly perked up. "Not necessarily. Isn't there one more who can help us out?"

"Who do you have in mind?" Sakura asked curiously.

Madison pointed at the foot of the couch Sakura was lying on. Sakura looked down to see a stack of the Sakura Cards. Sakura started to see just what her friend had in mind.

"Why didn't I think of that before?" Sakura asked herself.

* * *

"This kitchen reeks of chicken noodle soup!" Kero kept arguing. "Will you just clean it up already?"

"It is NOT chicken noodle soup," Yue shot back. "It's chicken soup with noodles in it. And it should be YOU who should clean it up!"

"Why don't you BOTH clean it up?"

Kero and Yue blinked upon hearing that familiar voice. They both turned their heads at the same time to look over at the entrance to the kitchen, just in time to see…

…Sakura.

"Sakura! You should be lying in bed!" Kero chided.

Yue blinked. "Uh…although you certainly look perfectly healthy."

Kero didn't realize it, but Yue was right. Sakura looked just fine. There didn't appear to be any signs of the flu present. Kero flew over and felt her forehead, feeling no fever whatsoever.

"How'd you get better so fast, Sakura?" Kero asked.

"Kero…don't you recognize me?"

Kero couldn't figure out what this question meant at first. But Kero began to trust his senses a little more…and that's when he figured it out. This wasn't Sakura at all.

Kero gasped. "Mirror?"

Mirror nodded cheerfully. "That's right. Sakura decided to let me out after you two couldn't stop arguing. Now if you'll excuse me, Sakura and Madison are still waiting for those drinks."

Mirror grabbed two glasses of orange juice and walked back to the living room. Kero and Yue breathed sighs of relief.

"At least we have a little assistance," Yue said.

"Yeah…so are you cleaning up this mess?" Kero grinned.

Yue grabbed the nearby mop…and clocked Kero over the head with the tip of the handle.

Kero rubbed his head and just decided maybe it was best to go check on the patients. Already this was turning out to be a long day.

  


Next Time: Chicken soup isn't the biggest trouble on this day. What happens when…insomnia strikes?

  


Any comments? Then mail me at AmericanCaptor@hotmail.com and don't forget to review below!


	3. Sleeping Woes

Last Time: Things got a little chaotic in the kitchen as the simple task of making chicken soup went awry. Seeing her two guardians bickering, Sakura resorted to calling out the Mirror Card to help her out. Now it's time for more complications to arise.

  


**Sick Day: Part 3**

  


Sakura took another sip of her orange juice. "Thank you, Mirror. I don't know what we'd do without you. Have Kero and Yue stopped arguing yet?"

Sakura's double thought about that. "Well…they were still…uh…discussing who would clean up the spilt soup."

Sakura sighed deeply. "I was afraid of that." As she said that, another loud cough came out.

Mirror felt Sakura's forehead. "Maybe we should take your temperature again. Where's the thermometer?"

Sakura pointed towards the other couch. Madison had the thermometer in her own mouth, obviously feeling as pale as Sakura. Mirror reached over and took the thermometer out of her mouth.

"Hmm…101.1. It's still pretty bad."

"Maybe you can get some sleep," Sakura suggested to her best friend. "Like Li."

****ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ****

As if on cue, Li started snoring. He may have been in denial about being sick, but he was sure sleeping heavily.

"Maybe you're right," Madison smiled. "I DO feel a little tired."

Sakura yawned. "Me too. Let's both get some sleep."

Sakura and Madison laid back and closed their eyes. Rest would be the best medicine on this night. So they both tried to get some sleep.

"HEY!!! WATCH IT WITH THAT MOP!!!"

Sakura, Madison, and Li all sat up. That loud voice could only be Kero, so it was obvious that he and Yue were still arguing.

"I'm trying to clean this mess," Yue snapped from the kitchen. "If you aren't going to help, then stay out of the way."

"OW!"

The four heard a smack and Kero suddenly came flying into the room. The little guardian beast was holding his cheek painfully.

"One of these days…" Kero muttered. Then he looked back. "Shouldn't you three be asleep?"

"We would be if you weren't so loud," Li growled.

"LOUD?!" Kero yelled. "I AM NOT LOUD!!"

"I'll never get back to sleep this way," Li groaned.

"Would you like me to sing to you, brat?" Kero suggested sourly.

Madison gasped. "Sing? I forgot! I have to sing for the choir next week. I have to practice!"

"Whoa! You can't practice like this! You need rest!"

"I have to practice!" Madison repeated…before coughing loudly. She quickly reached over for a tissue and blew her nose. "I can still hit those high notes. LA…ACK!"

Madison tried singing, but she went silent awfully quickly. Sakura knew she had to be feeling the same thing she was. Sakura's throat was unbearably sore. And no one could sing with a sore throat.

"My throat hurts," Madison groaned.

Li cleared his throat. "Well…I hope you two feel better. I'd better get some training done."

Kero quickly flew over and cut him off. "Where do you think YOU'RE going?"

"I told you! I'm NOT sick!"

"I'm warning you, brat! You'd better lie down!"

Li took a fighting stance. "You're not stopping me, stuffed animal!"

Sakura couldn't stand to see this. Kero and Li looked like they were ready to go at it. She had to do something…especially since Li didn't look like he was in any condition to fight, no matter how much he denied it.

"Cut it out, you two!" Sakura snapped. "Li, just lie down!"

"But I'm not sick!" Li growled.

"Just do it for me!" Sakura pleaded…before coughing roughly.

Li shook his head and coughed loudly. "Well…I guess I'll do it for you." He laid down and sniffled again. "But I don't know how we're getting to sleep this way."

"Well…as long as things stay quiet, I'm sure you two can sleep," Mirror cheerfully suggested. "And don't worry about keeping the mansion clean. I'm sure Kero, Yue, and I can keep it nice and tidy."

Kero waved his arms in a negative motion. "Whoa, time out. I can barely keep SAKURA'S house clean. This mansion probably has its own zip code. You think we can keep it clean."

"It's certainly worth a try," Yue answered. "The servants are still taking their break and they're obviously in no condition."

All three patients coughed loudly and sniffled.

"See?"

"Ok, fine. We'll clean the mansion. But maybe there is ONE thing we could do. Sakura? Could you do us one favor?"

"What's that, Kero?"

"Call out the Bubbles Card."

Sakura blinked. "Why Bubbles?"

Kero grinned. "You'll see."

* * *

A few minutes later, Kero was now staring right at Bubbles, whom Sakura had released. Before sending Bubbles on her task, Kero felt he had better have a pep talk with her first.

"Ok, so as you can see, your mistress is a little under the weather…along with a few of her friends. So we DON'T need you causing any problems. You're here to do ONE thing and that's to help us clean. So while your mistress sleeps, you are to listen to me and ONLY me!"

"Ahem."

"Oh yeah…and maybe Yue. Now go ahead and…spread…bubbles."

Bubbles walked down the long hall and started spreading around a series of suds. Yue was calmly standing with his arms crossed, leaning over the mop.

"Well? What are YOU waiting for?" Kero asked Yue.

"I'm taking my time," Yue said matter-of-factly. "Mirror's washing the dishes and I'm scrubbing the mansion. What exactly is it you're doing again?"

"Supervising," Kero grinned. "Besides, somebody has to be here just in case one of them wakes up. I have to keep things calm. And if one of them wakes up, I'll help them fall asleep again. If necessary, I'll even lead by example."

Yue shook his head. "I think we can cover better ground if…"

****WHIRRRRRRR****

Kero covered his ears when he heard the sound of the jackhammers outside. Immediately, Sakura, Madison, and Li all sat up. There were red cracks in their eyes and after a few seconds their heads just fell back. Kero couldn't believe that there was construction at a time like this. Knowing what he had to do, Kero flew out the nearby window and changed into his true form.

Keroberos headed for the front gate and saw the construction workers in the distance. They couldn't see him and weren't even looking his way. The sounds of street construction just kept getting louder and they were sure to keep everyone up.

**"QUIET!!!!!!"**

Nothing. The construction continued with no signs of stopping.

"Why don't you try a different approach?"

Keroberos turned around to see Yue shaking his head again.

"And I suppose YOU have a better idea?"

"As a matter of fact, I do."

Yue flew up in the air and formed a bow in his hands. He was aiming at the construction site. Keroberos thought he was being rash, but then he saw what Yue was actually trying.

Yue shot a series of arrows that knocked the jackhammers out of the workers' hands. It was a mind-boggling display of pinpoint accuracy. While the workers ran to pick up their jackhammers, Yue began shooting out ice crystals towards the site. The workers immediately started scattering. Feeling proud of his actions, Yue flew back down.

"Problem solved," Yue said casually.

Keroberos groaned. "Gee, how subtle. I don't see how that can possibly start a panic."

"That's just what I was hoping for. Maybe they can just leave…"

"I'M BEING SARCASTIC!!"

Yue groaned. "Oh…you're being yourself again."

"And you're being an idiot! Can't you THINK before you act?"

"At least *I* got the job done."

Keroberos groaned again. While he DID cause a panic, Yue DID manage to quiet the sounds of construction. He couldn't be faulted for that…though he COULD be faulted for a lot of other things. Before another heated argument started, Keroberos decided to focus on Yue's other task.

"Shouldn't you be cleaning?"

"Don't rush me," Yue growled as he started walking back towards the mansion. "The job will be done. Meanwhile, I suggest you attend to the Mistress and her friends."

Keroberos groaned a third time. He had put himself in this mess. He WAS the one who agreed to help them get back to sleep. So he didn't waste any time going back to the mansion.

* * *

Keroberos sighed. "Well…as long as I'm my awesome-looking self, I might as well stay that way for the time being. Especially if the brat tries to escape again. Now…can you three try and go back to sleep?"

"We've tried," Sakura moaned. "But we can't. We're all awake. It feels like there's nothing we can do."

Keroberos looked down at the Sakura Cards. "Well…there is ONE thing you could do."

Sakura looked down. "Hey! That's not a bad idea at all!" She reached for her wand with one hand and stuck the other towards the stack of cards. She finally found the right one. "Sleep Card! Come out and put us all to sleep! Sleep Card! Release and dispel!"

Sleep came out and started sprinkling her dust on the three sick patients. To everyone's relief, they all feel asleep. With no one to recall her, Sleep just sat by Sakura and laid down next to her.

"This has almost been TOO easy," Keroberos said to himself. "I wonder how Yue's faring?"

As if on cue, Yue came back and landed right behind Keroberos. Mirror also came back in from the kitchen.

"I finished washing the dishes," she said.

"And I finished scrubbing the WHOLE mansion," Yue added. "I must say, the Mistress's friend has quite a big home."

"Then we're all finished," Keroberos said cheerfully. "All that's left is to let them sleep. Sakura can always recall Sleep when she wakes up."

"Uh……wasn't there another card she had out?" Mirror pointed out.

"Ah yes," Yue remembered. "We forgot about Bubbles."

"Um…did you guys tell Bubbles you were done?" Mirror asked.

Keroberos nodded. "I'm sure Yue told her we're done."

Yue blinked. "I thought YOU told Bubbles we were done."

Keroberos slowly turned his head towards Yue. "No…I thought YOU did."

Silence.

Mirror gulped. "Then where's Bubbles?"

Everyone turned their heads towards the hallway and saw that it was starting to get flooded with suds. Bubbles had gone overboard. The entire mansion had to be FULL of soapy bubbles.

Keroberos sweatdropped. "This…is not good. We'd better wake Sakura."

Yue stopped the guardian beast. "Is that really necessary?"

"Of course it is," Keroberos answered. "She has to get up and recall Bubbles."

"But she's finally asleep," Yue pointed out. "Maybe it would be best if the three of us looked for Bubbles ourselves."

"Yue makes a good point," Mirror added. "We can't wake them up now."

Keroberos begrudgingly agreed. "Well, ok. Let's just hope the mansion doesn't look as bad as I think it does."

  


Next Time: Keroberos, Yue, and Mirror all look for the wayward Bubbles. Is stopping a dedicated Sakura Card as easy as it sounds? (Probably not) And did someone say "home remedies"? Come back next time!   


Any comments? Then mail me at AmericanCaptor@hotmail.com and don't forget to review below!


	4. Finding Bubbles

Last Time: To keep things tidy, Kero suggested that Sakura call out the Bubbles Card. After a brief obstacle with a construction site, the three sick patients fell asleep with the aid of the Sleep Card. But unfortunately, everyone forgot about Bubbles who proceeded to go overboard and leave the entire mansion practically flooded with bubbles. Deciding not to wake Sakura, Keroberos, Yue, and Mirror all decided to seek the mischievous Bubbles themselves.

  


**Sick Day: Part 4**

  


After slipping and sliding many times, Keroberos finally found it best to just hover above the ground while he went searching for the loose Bubbles Card. He soon found it a simple task of just following the trail of suds.

"I don't see her anywhere," the guardian beast said. He soon noticed silence. "Um…are you guys behind me?"

"We're right behind you, Keroberos," Mirror replied.

"Unfortunately, we have to help clean the suds Bubbles left out," Yue added.

Keroberos turned around and saw Mirror and Yue scrubbing frantically to try and clean up the mess of bubbles. Of course, every storm had its silver lining.

"Well…at least the mansion's clean," Keroberos grinned.

Yue groaned. "Look, maybe it's a good idea if we just split up. It's an awfully big mansion and Bubbles could be anywhere."

"That's a good idea," Keroberos concurred. "You look outside, I'll take the second floor, and Mirror can take the first floor and basement."

With that plan set, everyone started heading their separate ways. Keroberos looked for the nearest staircase and started going up, where he saw even more suds. He had to admit this much, Bubbles DID work fast.

But she needed to be found before things got chaotic.

* * *

After about 20 minutes of scouring the entire first floor, Mirror finally headed for the basement. And when she got down there, she saw it was virtually flooded with bubbles. To her dismay (and what was sure to be Madison's as well) even the bookshelves were covered in bubbles. The book covers were being ruined by the sudsy material.

Mirror treaded carefully, making sure not to slip and fall like Keroberos did so many times earlier. And when she turned the basement's corner, she saw a certain someone spreading bubbles all over the walls. It was Bubbles. Mirror had found her.

"Bubbles!" Mirror called out.

Bubbles turned around to see Mirror. Then she casually went about going back to work, as if Mirror wasn't even there.

Hating to be ignored, Mirror walked up to Bubbles. "Hey! I'm talking to you!"

Bubbles let out an exasperated sigh and turned towards Mirror with her hands on her hips.

"I think you went just a LITTLE too far here," Mirror said bluntly. "Nobody's faulting you for your work ethic. In fact, it's something I can definitely grow to admire. But you did too much! We're already done cleaning and the mansion has enough bubbles. You can go ahead and stop now."

Bubbles shook her head.

"What do you mean 'no'?!" Mirror demanded. "You're only making things more difficult! You have to STOP!"

Bubbles calmly walked up to Mirror and started whispering in her ear. After hearing what Bubbles had to say, Mirror groaned.

"What do you mean you're only supposed to listen to Kero or Yue?! What am I, chop liver?!"

Bubbles nodded. Mirror fell over anime-style.

Mirror picked herself up. "Come on, Bubbles! We're all cards here. You can listen to me. Who do you think sent me down here to come get you?"

Bubbles whispered something else in Mirror's ear.

Mirror groaned. "What do you mean 'orders are orders'?! Do you have to take everything so literally?!"

Bubbles nodded again. Mirror just slapped herself on the forehead.

"Don't MAKE me have to drag you out myself!" Mirror said indignantly. "Now you're coming with me or else!"

Bubbles frowned and shook her head again. She turned her head and concentrated on spreading bubbles again. Mirror didn't appreciate her fellow Sakura Card being so stubborn, so she decided to take matters into her own hands. She grabbed the troublesome card by the arm, but Bubbles just shook herself free and shoved Mirror down. Before Mirror could get back to her feet, Bubbles was off and running. But she made sure to turn back on last time and stick her tongue out at Mirror.

Mirror growled and quickly started chasing after her runaway colleague. But when she climbed up the staircase and out of the basement, she inadvertently slipped on a trail of sudsy bubbles. And much like a slip-n-slide, Mirror slid all the way down the hallway until she hit the wall head-first.

Mirror looked up with swirling eyes. "HOE…"

After taking that little word out of her mistress's vocabulary, Mirror shook off the cobwebs. But by the time she regained her senses, she noticed that Bubbles was gone.

* * *

Keroberos searched all over the second floor, but found no sign of Bubbles. Cleaning shouldn't have been such a chore, but the mischievous Sakura Card was only making things more difficult. The guardian beast was starting to think that Bubbles wasn't there. So he flew over towards the staircase…but someone unexpectedly bumped into him.

It was Bubbles and upon seeing Keroberos, she stopped in her tracks.

"You take your work seriously, don't you?" the guardian beast grinned.

Right behind Bubbles, Mirror scrambled to catch up. She leaned on the staircase's rail and panted heavily.

"I…found…her," Mirror said tiredly. "But she won't listen to me!"

Keroberos turned his attention to Bubbles. "You did a…fine job, Bubbles. But you can go ahead and stop now."

Bubbles shook her head.

"No? What do you mean 'no'?"

Bubbles whispered something into Keroberos's ear.

Keroberos sweatdropped. "You must be joking. Do you have to follow every order to the letter?"

Bubbles responded by whispering something else into the guardian beast's ear.

Keroberos nodded. "Ok, ok. Orders are orders. I know, I know."

With that, Keroberos changed back into his false form. And he made sure to shoot Bubbles a cold stare.

"Ok, I look like this again. NOW will you listen?!"

Bubbles nodded cheerfully.

"Ok then. YOU CAN STOP NOW!!"

Having heard that, Bubbles just casually shrugged and headed back to the living room. Kero and Mirror could only look around now…and see the mess of bubbles still around them.

"So how are we cleaning this up?" Mirror gulped.

"It appears that it's up to me," a voice said from outside.

Kero looked over and saw Yue by the window. Mirror ran over and opened the window, allowing the guardian to fly in. He looked around and sighed deeply.

Yue hung his head down and held his hand out. "Mop."

Mirror handed Yue the mop. Yue motioned for Kero and Mirror to walk away. Kero and Mirror took the hint and started walking down the stairs. Kero knew how Yue operated. He always liked to clean in private.

Of course, by the time Kero and Mirror finished walking down the stairs, Yue had caught up to them.

Kero shook his head. "Uh-uh. No way. There's no way you could have finished that fast."

Yue casually motioned towards the second floor. "See for yourself."

Kero flew up the stairs and to his amazement, the whole floor was spotless. Even more astonishing was the fact that the soap hadn't worn out the walls. But that's when something hit Kero like a ton of bricks. He flew over into one of the rooms and into one of the closets. Unfortunately the overzealous nature of Bubbles resulted in several wardrobes getting washed unexpectedly. And that meant these clothes would have to go in a dryer.

He'd worry that a little later, though. In the meantime, he'd go back downstairs. But by the time he got downstairs, Kero noticed that now the first floor was also spotless. Yue had worked wonders yet again. By the time Kero got back down, Yue was already finished and was calmly leaning over the mop.

"Now THAT was quite a sight!" Mirror smiled.

"So are we finished?" Yue sighed.

"We've got a little problem," Kero answered. "Bubbles left all the clothes wet. She probably left some other things wet, but…we'll just hope Madison and her mom don't notice. For right now, we'll just worry about the clothes."

Mirror was the first to volunteer. "I'll do it! Where's the dryer?"

"Probably in the basement," Kero replied. "Good luck."

Mirror knew her task now, so she headed up the stairs to get what had to be piles and piles of wet clothes. As quickly as that, it was just Kero and Yue.

"We've handled this pretty well, haven't we?" Kero asked.

"We do make a good team…even if we DO argue quite a bit."

"So I guess we're finally done. Nothing left to do but…help Mirror, I guess."

"That's a good idea. The Sleep Card can be very powerful. It's safe to say we have a lot of time."

Kero paid attention to the sounds of the living room. The three patients were still asleep. So it looked like there was still lots of time. So Kero and Yue rushed up the stairs and went to help Mirror.

* * *

It was a long night, but it was all over. Kero had never felt so tired in his whole existence. He couldn't help but envy Yue, who didn't need to sleep. Yue wasn't the type who slept. It was always Julian who did the sleeping for both of them. Mirror, on the other hand, looked like she was tuckered out.

"Why won't she wake up?" Mirror moaned. "I'm tired. I want to get some rest."

Kero knew Mirror was just itching for Sakura to wake up and recall her. But the three patients just slept soundly. That is, until someone finally started stirring. It was Sakura.

"She's waking up," Yue noted.

Sakura opened her eyes and coughed loudly, waking everybody around her up. It didn't look like she was feeling any better. Looking absolutely exhausted, Mirror slowly approached Sakura.

"I really hope you feel better, Mistress. But can I PLEASE go home now? I feel so tired."

Sakura looked around and saw all the cards she had released. Sleep was still lying down right beside her and Bubbles was keeping to herself in the corner. And then Sakura saw how tired the Mirror Card looked.

Sakura nodded. "Thank you so much, Mirror! I don't know where I'd be without you. You can take a long break."

Sakura recalled Mirror, Bubbles, and Sleep. With the cards returned, Sakura fell back and sniffled loudly. Kero decided to test the waters. He put a hand on Sakura's forehead and didn't like what he was feeling.

"Still burning," Kero sighed.

"You mean I'm not better?" Sakura moaned.

Kero decided to ignore that question for the moment and flew over to Madison. He also noticed the fever hadn't left her, either. And before Li could fully wake up, Kero flew over and felt his forehead. He didn't feel so good, either.

"You're all still sick!" Kero huffed.

"I'm not sick!" Li slurred.

"I see we're going to have to take more drastic measures!" Kero continued, ignoring Li. "Yue, where's that book?"

Yue reached over and grabbed the book he was looking at earlier. Kero perched himself on Yue's shoulder as the guardian browsed through the pages. Finally, they stopped at a page that would be sure to help out all involved.

"This is perfect!" Kero exclaimed.

"What is it?" both Sakura and Madison asked.

Kero grinned. "Home remedies!"

  


Next Time: We return to the kitchen with Kero and Yue as they try to fix a fresh home remedy for our flu- stricken CCS characters. But…how will it taste? And…will they be willing to take it?

  


Any comments? Then mail me at AmericanCaptor@hotmail.com and don't forget to review below!


	5. A Special Remedy

Last Time: It took a while to hunt down Bubbles. And after a confusing exchange, Bubbles finally agreed to stop spreading suds around. After cleaning up her mess, the next day finally came and Sakura recalled Mirror, Sleep, and Bubbles. When Kero discovered that the patients were still sick, he decided to take drastic measures. Now Kero and Yue are ready to make some…HOME REMEDIES!

  


**Sick Day: Part 5**

  


After a full day of dealing with three sick patients, Kero and Yue once again found themselves in Madison's kitchen. This time, though, Kero was determined to stay in that kitchen until he concocted something for that devastating flu. Just like the day before, Kero found himself hovering above a pot, while Yue browsed through the book.

Yue read through the ingredients. "Lemons."

Kero grabbed a lemon and squeezed it into the boiling water. "Check."

"Tea bags."

Kero grabbed a handful of tea bags and dumped them in. "Check."

"Castor oil."

Kero grabbed the green bottle and poured it in. "Check."

"Bitter herbs."

Kero saw the brown leaves of bitter herbs and dumped them in. "Check."

"Cough and sinus tablets."

"Check."

"Lemons."

"Check."

"And two eggs."

Kero didn't quite understand that last bit about two eggs, but he wouldn't ask any questions. He just cracked the eggs and dumped them into the pot.

"Check."

"All that remains now is to stir the ingredients together and let them sit on the stove."

Yue grabbed a nearby wooden spoon and started stirring the ingredients together quickly. Once he was finished, he gently set it on the stove and turned it on. Now all they had to do was wait.

* * *

A half hour already passed and steam started coming out of the pot. The special medicinal tea looked to be ready. Yue turned the stove off and poured the tea into a kettle. The tea was quite thick and it looked like the three patients would have to be fed by spoon. Kero grabbed the kettle and flew into the living room. As soon as Sakura and Madison saw the kettle coming in, they cringed. Kero scooped up a spoonful of the thick green liquid.

"Ok, who wants to go first?" Kero grinned.

Silence.

"It can't taste THAT bad," Kero said dryly. "Come on! Somebody take it!"

Silence. Sakura and Madison sunk into their sheets.

Li scoffed. "How bad could it be?"

"Glad you feel that way, brat!" Kero said cheerfully. "Come on! Show the girls what they're missing!"

Li got up and put the spoon full of tea into his mouth. He looked fine at first, but that's because it took a few seconds for the taste to sink in. As soon as it did, Li's face turned green and he fainted.

Kero looked down at the fallen Li. "Hmm…not a bad reaction considering some of the ingredients." He quickly got another spoonful. "Ok, Sakura. You're next."

Sakura's eyes widened. "No way! I'm NOT taking that stuff!"

"Sakura! It's not that bad! Come on now! Bottoms up!"

"Forget it!" Sakura cried. "Kero, get that stuff away from me!"

It was becoming painfully obvious that Kero would need to be a little more forceful. So he started flying closer to the couch Sakura was lying on. Sakura looked to be sweating, knowing what was coming up. So she did the only thing she could do. She leaped off the couch and started running, showing more life than she had in the past day or so.

"Sakura! Come back here!"

Madison blinked. "I didn't know a sick person could run that fast. Good luck catching her, Kero."

Kero suddenly realized something. As long as he was so close, he shoved the spoonful of tea into Madison's mouth in the blink of an eye. Madison, caught by surprise, could only swallow the concoction and turn green herself. She didn't faint like Li did, but she just gagged. That left Kero with only Sakura to give the medicine to.

"Yue! Where's Sakura?"

Yue flew right into the living room and landed by Kero. "The Mistress is missing?"

"She's being a baby!" Kero growled. "We have to find her and get her to take this stuff!"

"Why do you suppose she's reacting like this?" Yue asked curiously.

"I have no idea," Kero sighed. "I mean, this stuff can't be THAT bad."

The little guardian beast dipped a finger into the kettle and took a taste. Kero immediately grimaced and coughed. The taste was beyond awful. And that said a lot, considering that Kero would eat almost anything.

"Ok, so maybe it IS that bad. But she has to take it anyway! Come on, let's find her!"

Knowing what they had to do now, Kero and Yue headed out to find Sakura. And Kero made sure not to forget the spoonful of stuff.

* * *

Kero and Yue scoured the entire first floor and found no signs of Sakura. This was like a bad game of hide-and-seek and it appeared that Sakura had found the perfect hiding place. The guardians now had to resort to looking up on the second floor. But after looking through half the second floor, Kero and Yue stopped at one of the bathrooms and took a break.

"Where could she be?" Kero asked.

"She's certainly found a good hiding place," Yue added.

But a certain someone blew her cover…by coughing loudly. Yue flew over towards the shower curtains and opened them, revealing Sakura.

"Sakura! TAKE YOUR MEDICINE!"

Kero flew over with the spoon, but Sakura still wasn't ready to cooperate. She made a mad dash out of the bathroom and turned right. Yue flew out and over Sakura, cutting off her escape route. But Sakura still wasn't giving up. She made a 180 and starting running the opposite direction. Kero motioned for Yue to stay back as this time, the little guardian beast was the one to cut her off.

He flew over Sakura's head and got in her path, waiting for his chance to shove the spoon in her mouth. Sakura still wasn't ready to comply. She rolled under Kero, but unfortunately didn't see she was close to…the stairs.

"HEY! WHOAAAAAA!!"

Sakura started tumbling down the long flight of stairs, bumping herself every which way until she finally landed hard on the ground. Her eyes were now fixed on the ceiling and she wasn't about to get up anytime soon. And seeing how she down for the moment, Kero immediately flew down and shoved the spoonful of tea in her mouth.

Kero grinned. "There! That wasn't so bad, was it?" His grin soon faded. "Uh…Yue? She ain't moving. That's a bad thing, isn't it?"

* * *

That night, Sakura was starting to feel a little better. Her cough was almost completely gone and her fever was finally gone. She looked around to see that Madison was up and on her feet again. Not only that, but she had her video camera out and she was taping Sakura, just like she usually did.

Li was on his feet, too. But of he course he kept insisting that he was never sick in the first place. He also kept insisting that he had to work on his training, but he made an exception for this night.

As for Sakura herself, well she was indeed feeling a little better. Unfortunately…practically her whole body was covered in bumps and bruises from the fall down the stairs. In fact, she couldn't even get up and had to stay on the couch.

Kero shook his head. "Have we learned something from all this?"

Sakura nodded. "Yes we have. Can we get a PROFESSIONAL doctor next time?"

Kero fell over anime-style.

"So is everybody ok now?" Yue asked.

"I feel just fine!" Madison said cheerfully. "I think I'd better go get something to drink. Recovering from the flu makes you thirsty."

As Madison walked towards the kitchen, Kero suddenly realized something. He flew over and perched himself on Yue's shoulder.

"Um…Yue? Did we clean up the kitchen?"

"MY KITCHEN!! IT'S A MESS!!"

Yue shook his head calmly. "I don't believe we did."

Kero sweatdropped. At least the worst part of this weekend was over.

  


**THE END**

  


Any comments? Then mail me at AmericanCaptor@hotmail.com and don't forget to review below!


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